All the Pretty Horses: On Hiatus

All the Pretty Horses, Minnesota's glam-rock band fronted by transgender singer/songwriter, Venus DeMars, just announced that their drummer, Jendeen, will be leaving the band and they have cancelled an upcoming tour to New Zealand. Venus sent out a letter that includes local gigs in the next few months. Be sure to check them out. Venus' letter is in the extended entry.

What happens when a dream ends:

This morning I awoke from a dream of being on an airplane going somewhere I didn¹t know it was huge inside, and I kept running into people I knew as I wondered around the inside. Eventually it became too huge for a plane, and morphed into a village that I was wondering through.

Then my cat Ramona jumped on top of me, crying for food. And I awoke and fed her.

I road my bicycle to my work at the ATPH studios downtown Mpls. In my bike pack, was an MMA award from last night. I road along what I like to call "The beautiful way" which is an off road bike trail following
the rail linesSit goes all the way from south Mpls and ends at Lees Liquor Lounge downtown Mpls. (quite the long way actually ;) I needed to ride because as I told a good friend of mine last afternoon when he called with his own distress over the unpredictable elements of running a band, it's a really good way to think. You get out there with nothing but your mind running, and there's no way to stop. You've got to see it through to the end of the ride. You're forced to think, let your mind run through it's course through it's noise. The noise that keeps you awake at night, and makes you get up too early. The noise that can drive you insane, it eventually becomes clear.
Actual thoughts begin to surface, and then reason follows, and then finally; a calm.

And I had to think.

I¹ve put off sending this letter to you all for over a week now, and perhaps it was for good reason.

Last night, I was at the 2005 Minnesota Music Awards event, as was my band at present: Jendeen, Tempest, Shannon, Madkat. As the night wore on, I remembered all the MMA nominations ATPH has had over all this
time, and never winning them. It's become a band joke: actually we always go for the free food.

Well, after 9 years of working on this project; All The Pretty Horses, we won.

After 9 years we won recognition from our home state for just being us, for being All The Pretty Horses. We didn't win any special recording award, or specific event award, we simply won the award of recognition for this years 'hard rock artist/group category' i.e. for being just us.

And now for the hard part of this letter.

After January 13 2006 ATPH will be taking an extended hiatus.

As you are all aware by now, that ATPH has had to cancel our projected TX tour, as well as our 2006 New Zealand return tour. Prompted because of Skindog's (our own indie-record label, which has basically been funded by my credit cards when the band couldn¹t make ends meet, this built up my own long standing band debt.)

I simply couldn¹t make the books work out in any fashion other than contributing to this ever mounting debt.

As I look back on 9 years, I recall two tours to the UK, Multiple short tours out to NYC, An extended tour to New Zealand. I also remember having large video cameras following me and the band and my wife for 3 years during the creation of "Venus of Mars." In addition to these good memories, I recall living through a recent 13 month
separation from my wife Lynette, the loss of friends because of accident or suicide, and I recall both the support and hatred one receives for being a trans-person living in this world of ours.

As we work to attempt to control our surroundings, I find that life is much like a hurricane. You can't control it, you can't control it's devastation, or it¹s power. But you can make choices.

Kali, is the goddess of destruction, but also the goddess of creation. And like a hurricane, Her power is unmatched and cannot be controlled.

I have both this good and sad news to deliver. Jendeen has worked so very hard in Minnesota as a drummer, having worked to establish her Jazz band the Wolverines as one of MN¹s best Jazz groups, she tackled Rock. Jendeen joined ATPH full time 3 CD's ago. She has established herself again as one of Minnesota¹s great rock drummers, and deservedly attracted the attention of theater after working in Minneapolis's very own production of Hedwig. She has been offered a potentially lucrative chance to explore a continued theater possibility, starting
in Jan 2006. It will include tours which may extend over a month, and would take her away from a predictable ATPH performance availability. I know first hand that this has been an extremely difficult decision for Jendeen to take on. And she has struggled with it for some time.

But in this hurricane of life spins, chances never repeat. And you can never go back.

And I understand and support her decision.

So, what do you do when a dream ends, well, we often roll over and go back to dreaming. Or perhaps we get up and feed the cat.

I want to list everyone I can remember who have helped me with this dream of ATPH. The list continually grows as I search my noisy mind, and I am sure I will miss someone, but I would like to try now:

Last night I couldn't say anything. I was too stunned. I couldn't talk.

I want to thank my ATPH band mates, past and present:
- Bill Bailey (my first drummer)
- Ed Ford (my first bass player)
- Katy Thomasberg (back up vocals) (management)
- Craig Grossman (drums)
- Terrica (drums)
- Matt Batchelor (drums)
- Tiffany Tieche (Jonnycakes) (back up vocals)
- LeeAnn MacDougall (Pandora) (bass)
- Eden Taylor (bass)
- Emily (Star) Hooper (back up vocals)
- Too many previous ATPH dancers to list, if I tried to list everyone,
I would surly miss someone, and I don¹t want anyone to feel left out.
(You know who you are ;)
- Too all the in between drummers
- OBetty¹ / David (ATPH MC ­ and Sales)
- Brenda (drum tech - sales)
- MadMat (now in New Zealand) (soundman, engineer, stage tech, NYC
tour management, NZ tour management.)
- Chance (recording engineer assistance)
- Barb Morrison (our producer in Brooklyn NY)
- Emily Goldberg (filmmaker: 'Venus of Mars')

AND ESPECIALLY:
Jendeen ­ Drums
Tempest ­ Bass
Shannon ­ Dance, tour management, booking
MadKat ­ Dance, back up impact vox
Also:
Jake Cooke (stage tech)
Ro (sales)
Tony (ATPH street team leader)
V. Mercy (for just helping out wherever and whenever)

Below this message I have listed all our confirmed ATPH performances between now and Jan.

After Jan. 13 2006,

Both the ATPH main website and the ATPH Myspace.com website will remain intact and will keep tabs on everything that transpires between us all.

Tempest will continue to book the occasional ATPH performances when She, Jendeen, Shannon, MadKat, and myself are able to coordinate our schedules, and in effect, help hold down the fort through our hiatus period.

I will continue with these mailings with any future ATPH performances, as well as any updates on all side projects related to ATPH members

I will continue to finish the work on the upcoming solo CD with Barb (our producer in NY,) and will begin to build a back-up band of sorts.

Jendeen will pursue her love of drums and I am sure she will be part of my musical life often.

Thank you all for these years
-Venus
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ATPH GIG LIST:

CONFIRMED:
========
SEPT.
============
Friday Sept. 23rd - The Uptown Bar - Uptown Minneapolis MN - doors
9:00 pm - 21 plus - Also on bill: Future Lisa and her band for her
new CD release: 'Test Drive'. Stateline Motel opens the night
=============
OCT.
==========================
Oct. 9th Sunday (special In-Studio event Minneapolis MNSinvites will
be sent out) KQRS Homegrown live broadcast =D details in your invite)
===========================
Oct. 15th Saturday - ATPH Headlines the 'Milwaukee Film Festival
Opening Party' in conjunction with WMSE Milwaukee - All Ages / ID
drink show!!! - FREE!!!! - doors 9:00 pm - Todd Wehr Conference
Center - Milwaukee School of Engineering - 1047 N. Broadway Milwaukee
WISalso appearing: 'The Monitors' and in between set film shorts
===========================
Oct. 29th screening of 'Venus of Mars' - Milwaukee Film Fest - 4:45 PM
the Downer Theater. Earlier in the day: Special In-Store solo
performance by Venus - 2:00 pm Atomic Records -Milwaukee WI.
============================
NOV.
========
Friday Nov. 4th Venus - and available ATPH band members) Live radio
interview and guest spot: 6 PM www.kmsu.org Mankato MN
=================================
Friday Nov. 11th - Pizza Luce - Duluth MN - with Guest drummer filling
in for Jendeen (details in next mailing.)
===============================
Saturday Nov. 19th - What's Up Lounge - Mankato MN (details in next
mailing
==============================
DEC.
=========
Thursday, Dec 1st. - The Inferno - Madison WI - (details in next
mailings)
============
JAN. 2006
=========
Friday Jan 13th - OUR LAST PERFORMANCE BEFORE OUR HIATUS - TRIPLE
ROCK!! - Minneapolis MN - Be There!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Unconfirmed in the works gigs:

- Early Oct. 2005 - St Olaf College

- Nov 14th - Possible performance in conjunction with the Fashion
event at the Saloon - downtown Mpls. MN

-Possible performance as part of an upcoming MN Rollergirls event - MN

Any confirmations and/or details will be included in our next mailings

Thank you all.

Venus DeMars

All The Pretty Horses
www.prettyhorses.net

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